Congress and science

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Steven M. Bellovin [smb () cs columbia edu]
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 2:16 PM
To: David Farber
Subject: Congress and science

There's an interesting -- and depressing -- article in today's NY Times
(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/science/10phys.html) on the three
physicists in Congress.  The problem is that too many of their
colleagues just don't understand what science is about.  Sure, they can
consult experts, as the former chair of the House Science Committee
says their role is, but they first have to recognize that there is a
technical issue; too often, they don't.

The article has a fair number of stories showing that -- my favorite
was the representative who thought game theory had to do with sports --
but this quote sums it up:

        For example, Mr. Ehlers said, it is irksome to encounter
        people who ignore the scientific consensus that human
        activity contributes to global warming yet count on science
        to produce new sources of energy magically. "They sort of
        reject our reasoning," he said. "But they will come back
        and say, `Science will find a way.' "


                --Steve Bellovin, http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~smb



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